Black and Latino Youth Are Among The Most Unemployed And Uneducated In America

Hispanic youths, one of the fastest-growing segments of the United States population, are poised to fill the needs of the workforce as millions of baby boomers retire in the coming years. But a new report shows that an alarming number of Hispanic and black teens and young adults, those between the ages of 16 and 24, are neither working nor in school—what the authors call “disconnected.”

The study, “One in Seven: Ranking Youth Disconnection in the 25 Largest Metro Areas,” found that about while about 14.7 percent of Americans overall in this age group are disconnected, Latinos in this range have a disconnection rate of 18.5 percent, and blacks have the highest rate, at 22.5 percent.

Exiting the teenage years without a job or not advancing in the classroom prevents youth from building workforce credentials and social skills, said Kristen Lewis, the report’s coauthor. Absent from structured environments, youth do not learn how to handle stress.

Withdrawal also perpetuates a vicious cycle of unwed pregnancies, violence, and incarceration among blacks and Latinos, said Philip Jackson, founder and executive director of the Black Star Project, a Chicago-based program that seeks to improve student attendance.

Jackson blames a lack of family structure on most of the ills that black people (particularly males) face.

“A two-parent household is an oddity in many black communities,” he said, which weakens some individuals’ potential and prospects.

This “disconnection” also puts a strain on the taxpayers that wake their a$$ up and go to work everyday.

Having disconnected minority youths also hurts taxpayers. The study noted that youth disconnection for all racial groups—5.8 million young people—cost taxpayers $93.7 billion in government support and lost tax revenue last year alone.

This should appall all of us black, white, latino, asian, whoever. This is our country, and our future!

Hit the flipside to see some of the sad and shocking numbers reported by this study.